


Of Pick up lines & Rejections

by StarryClouds



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: College AU!, Completed, F/M, Finally done! Whewww, Pidget is a sly midget, Please give this ff some love, Two Shot, You're an awkward college student, cheesy pickup lines, epilogue included, reader - Freeform, what even is this lmao
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-09
Updated: 2017-09-13
Packaged: 2018-12-21 04:23:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 16,718
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11936235
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/StarryClouds/pseuds/StarryClouds
Summary: [COLLEGE AU!]"Wait!" Yelled Lance, running up to you. "Are those space pants? Because that ass is out of this world girl!""No they're prison pants," you retorted without a beat of hesitation. "And now it's time to make my escape.""DAMMIT!"In which you accidentally fall in love with a goofy Cuban boy and his love for cheesy chat up lines.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I've been searching for good LanceXReader stories but I couldn't find many good long ones (the only ones I could find were KeithXReader which is still awesome but I want my boy McClain to get recognition too). So here's my long oneshot which I hope you enjoy!
> 
> Lowkey had to search up pick up lines and good comebacks in order to write this fic lol.

Whenever you visited, you would nearly always see the same group of friends chatting loudly at the corner of the cafe by the window. They were college students who went to the same university as you; Pidge was in your physics class and the large tanned guy was doing an engineering course in the department next to yours. Shiro was a grad student and very well known throughout the college as an inspiring idol (you heard that he was offered lots of offers to work at NASA as soon as his genius with space was revealed) and the dark haired boy with the mullet was studying astronomy.

And last of all was the 'sunshine' of the group (but of course you would never say that out loud). You didn't know much about him apart from the fact that his name was Lance and he was a massive flirt who attempted (and continuously failed) to get girls using his vast knowledge of cheesy pick up lines. He studied astronomy with his mullet "rival" (you were pretty sure that the whole cafe knew after that huge bickering match which ended with Coran separating them by the ears and forcing them to wash the dishes as punishment).

Yet no matter how weird he was, you found him oddly intriguing. Whenever you went to Altea, you would secretly listen to him and his exaggerating narratives of his adventures. It always put a smile on your face, no matter how bad your day was going and you found yourself wanting to join their group. It was like high school and the different students wanting to be part of the popular squad, except here you were an awkward college student and you were envious of a group of five very different yet dorky friends who weirdly seemed to fit together perfectly. 

But no matter how much you wanted to talk to Lance, you never actually expected it to happen, and especially not on that Monday.

It was one of your "bad days", where you had slept past your alarm and had to practically sprint down the halls to not miss your morning lectures. After two hours of trying not to fall asleep, you had finally managed to get through it, only to get set an assignment to write up a report on your last experiment (due THE NEXT DAY). 

You didn't want to go back to your stuffy dorm room, so you had gone to Altea to finish the tasks.

Oh why oh  _why_ did he have to approach you when you were looking like a walking zombie? You were sure that the messy bun, dark eyebags and all around grouchy aura was enough for anyone to leave you alone but it seemed as if the universe was against you and the boy you were intrigued with the past few months decided that it was the perfect time to come and try a pick up line on you.

"You know, you look exactly like my next girlfriend," he said with a low voice, giving you a wink when he rested his elbows on your table.

"Really? Because you look exactly like the guy I'm going to ask to fuck off now," You snapped, the words coming out of your mouth before you could stop it.

Lance blinked at you in surprise, before the tips of his ears turned red and he stumbled back to his table with a dazed expression. You kept your eyes on your paper, trying to ignore the howls coming from Lance's friends when they found out just how bad his attempt on you crashed and burned, but inwardly you groaned at your actions and moodiness.

Later when you got back to your dorm, you would repeatedly smack your face on your bed for ruining the one chance you had with the Cuban boy.

 ***

"Hey you're in my physics, right?"

You looked up from your phone to see Pidge smiling at you. She was holding a cup of coffee in one hand and her backpack over the other shoulder.

"Uh, yeah."

"I knew I recognised you when Lance tried to flirt with you last week," she snorted when she remembered the memory. Your cheeks burned when you looked back on it as well.

"Is he ok? I'm sorry, I was just in a really bad mood that day."

Pidge blinked before laughing lightly. "Are you kidding me? He can't stop talking about you! You're the first girl who has rejected him with a smartass comeback like that."

You raised your eyebrows in surprise. "So he's ok?"

"His pride is a little broken but that happens everyday which isn't weird. Keith also keeps teasing him but that isn't weird either."

You laughed before remembering something. "Wait he can't stop talking about me?"

"Yep," she smirked before making her voice higher and pulling a dreamy expression on her face.  
_"She's so sassy!"_ she squealed and you snorted at her imitation of Lance. _"And so cute! Guys I think I found my soulmate!"_

You felt yourself blush at her words. "He really said that?"

Pidge stopped her mocking to stare at you, before a huge grin appeared on her face. "Oh my god. You LIKE him!"

"No I don't!" You snapped. "I've never even spoken to him before that day!"

But Pidge wouldn't listen to you, instead choosing to slap a hand over her mouth to stop her laughter. "You actually like him! Ahaha!"

You groaned and put your head on the table. You were lucky that the rest of Pidge's group weren't here today, or you swore that you would never return to Altea.

"Stop!" You moaned. Pidge finally stopped and smiled at you.

"Fine fine, but you should talk to him!" And at your horrified expression, she snorted again. "Oh come on, you should! I'll introduce you!"

You waved your hands in refusal. "I'll make a fool of myself again! Please don't make me!"

Pidge was about to say something before she glanced at her watch and cursed. "Shoot, I'm going to be late! My brother's gonna kill me! I'll see you later!"

And with that, she gathered her stuff and quickly ran out of the coffee shop. You blinked before going back to your phone, trying to focus on your ebook.

All you could think about however, was the image of Lance swooning over you.

 

 ***

You were walking through the courtyard of your campus when you heard someone call out your name. You looked around you but you couldn't see who had called.

"Over here!" said a voice behind you.

You turned around you and saw the engineering student (Hunk was it?) waving at you from the benches. Shiro, Pidge and the mullet boy (whom you assumed was Keith) were sitting beside him. As you walked up to them, you noticed that Lance wasn't with them but you tried not to look disappointed.

"Um... hi," you said although it came out as more of a question.

"Hey there!" Said Hunk. "Pidge told us all about you!"

You blinked before Pidge's voice whispered in your ear. "Don't worry, I didn't tell them about your little crush on Lance-y boy,"

You jumped and playfully glared at her for surprising you, before turning to the three boys.

"She did? I didn't know that."

"We're sorry if Lance made you uncomfortable last week," apologised Shiro.

You laughed. "No it's fine, I don't really mind."

"Yeah," winked Pidge. "She doesn't mind at all~"

She squawked when you jabbed her side with your fist.

"Where is Lance anyway?" Asked Hunk as he munched on some chips.

"He was held behind for sleeping during lectures," smirked Keith. "The professor is annoyed that he still manages to pass every test even though he never pays attention."

You smiled at that before you heard a shout from behind you.

"Hey guys!" called out Lance as he skipped up to the group. He didn't even seem to notice you and you subtly stepped behind Pidge, even though she was nearly a few heads smaller than you and you would obviously be noticed as soon as Lance turned to your direction.

"Got chewed out by the professor again?" smirked Keith.

"What do you think?" snorted Lance. "I swear he seems to try and find something about me to complain about every day."

"Hi Lance~" sang Pidge, smirking when Lance turned around to say hi back and promptly shut up when he saw you.

You nervously smiled and shyly waved. "H-Hi."

Lance stared at you for a few seconds before he practically leapt towards you and shot you a flirty look. "Did it hurt?"

"What?"

"When you fell from heaven?"

You stared at him in surprise before a mischievous smirk crawled onto your lips. "Did you just call me Satan?"

Lance spluttered for a few seconds and fell to his knees in defeat, whilst the others laughed. Keith didn't even bother to hide his snort. "This is rich!"

Lance flipped off Keith and stared at you with a new fire in his eyes. "I promise you, I'll find a pick up line that even you won't be able to think of a response to!"

You raised and eyebrow and gave him a cocky look (Wow! Where were you getting all of this confidence?). "Go ahead. I need to practise my rejections."

"Burnnnn~" whispered Hunk from the bench.

Shiro shook his head at his friends' antics before smiling at you. "We're heading to Altea for lunch. Do you want to hang out with us?"

You gave him a look of apology. "I'd love to but I need to finish off these reports before my lecture this afternoon so I'll be heading to the library. Maybe next time?"

"Ok!" said Pidge, grabbing your hand and jotting down her number. "Here's my number. I'll call you sometime and make plans. I need another girl to hang out with anyway instead of these idiotic boys."

"Hey!"

You laughed before waving goodbye, turning around to leave.

"Wait!" Yelled Lance, running up to you. "Are those space pants? Because that ass is out of this world girl!"

"No they're prison pants," you retorted without a beat of hesitation. "And now it's time to make my escape."

"DAMMIT!"

 

***

 You were watching Netflix in your dorm when your phone "ding"-ed with a new text message. Pausing the film, you lifted yourself up from the bed and opened up your phone.

 **_Hey! We were thinking of getting dinner from one of those restaurants near the High Street. Wanna join us?_ **  
**_~ Pidge 6:54PM_ **

**_Sure! I'll meet up with you in about ten minutes?  
~ Me 6:55PM_ **

**_Yayy! See ya there! And you can just wear casual clothes.  
~ Pidge 6:56PM_ **

 

You smiled at Pidge's enthusiasm. It had been a week since you last officially met the group at the courtyard and after that, you and Pidge had gotten closer as friends. You had even joined her in the front row during physics lectures and she had helped you with studying a great deal.

Unfortunately you weren't able to see the others as much. Shiro, being a couple years older, obviously had more work which he usually tried to finish during the day so that he would have time to do his research so you hardly ever saw him much. You had walked with Hunk to the library once and had an interesting conversation about food and his favourite meals (you honestly thought it would be boring but surprisingly Hunk had managed to get you into a lively debate about foods from all over the world and different flavours).

You only caught a glimpse of Keith once over the week and that was when he was sitting on a bench in the park, listening to music. You would've joined him if it wasn't for the fact that he seemed to be in his "alone time" which you were sure you didn't really want to disturb. However you never even saw Lance once that week. It made you slightly disappointed but you took your mind of it by focusing on your studies.

The air outside was warm but breezy so you put on a pair of black shorts and a sleeveless white top, making sure to take your denim jacket from the sofa before leaving your dorm room. You quickly sent a text to your room mate to let her know where you were going and set off.

It only took around five minutes to reach the meet up spot that Pidge had texted you a little while ago and you quickly spotted all five of them waiting for you.

"Hi!" You waved as you ran up to them. Hunk was the first to spot you and animatedly waved back.

"Hey! You're just in time," he cried. "Come on guys, let's eat!"

"Be patient Hunk," chided Pidge before smiling at you. "You're officially part of our group now so we expect you to hang out with us more, ok?"

You nodded enthusiastically before you felt an arm around your shoulder.

"Do you have a library card?" Lance whispered into your ear, making goosebumps appear on your skin. "Because I'm totally checking you out."

You relished in his touch before reluctantly pulling away. "Did you know I'm a best seller? Currently unavailable."

Lance whined. "Why are you so good at this?"

You smirked. "Talent I guess."

You decided not to tell him that you had spent a week looking up every pick up line there was on the internet and their comebacks.  
What? You were good but you weren't THAT good.

Hunk whined even more. "Can we go now? The smell of burgers is torturing me!"

"Let's go," said Shiro. "Before the restaurants fill up."

The six of you walked down the side walk to one of the restaurants that everyone else seemed to like a lot. Whilst Hunk and Pidge started a conversation about mechanics, you talked with Shiro about his space research.

"So you might be going into space in a few years?" You breathed in wonder. "That's great!"

Shiro thanked you. "It will be a great opportunity. I'm hoping that I could help them with any breakthroughs."

"Well I'm sure with you there, you'll help the scientific world greatly."

"OW LANCE! LET GO OF MY EAR!"

You turned around to see Lance pulling on one of Keith's ears. You snorted before going to help the black haired boy.

"What did he even do that for?" You laughed as Lance went to sulk beside an amused Shiro.

Keith smirked whilst massaging his ear. "I was just teasing him about how he likes y-"

"PIZZA!" Interrupted Lance, kicking Keith in the shin. "He was teasing me about how I like pizza!"

You blinked in confusion. "What's so bad about pizza? I like pizza."

"Right? We have so much in common!" cried Lance, throwing an arm around your shoulders. "See Keith, babe here likes pizza too!"

"Good to know," groaned Keith, rubbing his shin. "Absolutely fucking fascinating!"

You rolled your eyes and spotted Pidge giving you a smirk and gesturing towards Lance's arm on your shoulders. You just silently flipped her off with your middle finger but let Lance keep his arm around you.

It was nice and comfy and provided a sense of security. You could feel his side gently brushing against yours, each brush sending sparks running up your body. It made you smile but you pretended that it didn't affect you.

"We're here," announced Shiro before Hunk practically burst through the doors and jumped into a booth. The rest of you leisurely walked in and joined him.

"What do you guys want?" Asked Keith. "I'll go give the orders."

Everyone picked their meals from the menu (you deciding on a burger meal and a smoothie) before all giving Keith their shares of the money. You gave Keith your share too before he left.

When the food came, Hunk dug in and started wolfing it down whilst Shiro ate slowly. Keith and Lance were having some sort of eating contest and you groaned at their antics.

"You guys are going to have a horrible stomach ache later," You warned them but they just shrugged and carried on inhaling their food.

"I told you these guys are idiots," dead-panned Pidge. "Shiro and I were the only sane ones before you came."

"Nice to know I can share your burden," you replied sarcastically.

The rest of the hour was spent chatting and laughing over some of Lance's other hilarious attempts to pick up women and talking about each other. You learned that Keith was kicked out of high school his final year and joined another school, where he met Lance. The two rivals met Pidge and Hunk during university and Shiro met them all when they tried to spy on him playing tennis (the latter made you raise your eyebrows in disbelief but the blushes on Keith, Lance, and Hunk's faces proved otherwise).

Finally it was time to go and the six of you cleaned up before exiting the restaurant.

"Pidge, I can drive you and Hunk back to your homes if you want?" Asked Shiro. Pidge and Hunk accepted the offer.

"What about you guys?" Shiro turned to you, Keith and Lance.

"My apartment is just a few minutes away," said Keith. "I'll just walk."

"The dorms are only a few minutes away too," You said. "Thanks for the offer."

"Same here," said Lance.

Shiro nodded and left with Pidge and Hunk to his car whilst Keith left in the opposite direction, waving at the two of you before leaving. That just left you and Lance, who was shuffling from side to side in the awkward silence.

"So..." You broke the silence. "You heading to the dorms?"

"Yeah, " said Lance. He seemed to be much calmer than when the two of you were with the group and you assumed that he was tired. "Wanna walk together? Can't have a girl as cute as you walk alone in the dark."

You chuckled at his flirting but that didn't stop your cheeks from turning hot. "I'd love that, Lance."

Lance grinned before putting his hands into the pockets of his jacket and walked with you, slowing down so that you could catch up with his long legs.

"No pick up line?" You asked with a grin.

Lance shrugged. "I thought one would be enough for the day."

"How about we lift it to a maximum of two per day?"

Lance's face lit up before he adopted a sultry look. "Baby you must be a broom, because you just swept me off my feet."

"And you must be a light switch because you turn me off."

"DAMMIT," cried Lance. "I can't find one that you don't have a good response to!"

"I'm sure you have more than five pick up lines in that brain."

"Yeah but no girl's ever heard more than two of my awesome lines."

"I feel special," you meant that in a sarcastic way but you liked the fact that Lance was using his effort on you, even if it was only for a game. "What happens when you win anyway?"

"I don't know..." He trailed off before something glinted in his eyes and he turned to face you. "If I manage to find a pick up line that you don't have a smartass comeback to... then you need to go on a date with me."

"Deal. And if in one month you still can't find one, then you need to..." You thought about it, before you gave him a shit-eating grin. "Then you need to kiss Keith."

"W-WHAT?" squawked Lance and you couldn't help but snort at his face.

"I'm not joking. If I win the bet then you need to smooch Keith. Right on the lips!"

Lance spluttered some more before finally calming down and poking you on the forehead. "Fine. But only cos I know I'll win. And you better prepare yourself for the worst date in history."

"Sure Lance, sure."

 

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 20**

"Darling if I could rearrange the alphabet, I would put 'U' and 'I' together."

"Why do that when 'N' and 'O' are already together?"

"QUIZNAKS."

"LANCE MCCLAIN, LANGUAGE. OR I'LL KICK YOU OUT OF THE SHOP."

"Sorry Allura."

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 15**

"Someone call God, he's missing an angel!"

"Someone call the asylum, they're missing a patient."

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 13**

"Feel my shirt, it's boyfriend material."

"Looks clingy and hard to maintain."

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 8**

**_Are you a magician? 'Cause abraca-dayum girl!_ **  
**~ Lance 3:55AM**

 **_Yep! Now watch me disappear!_ **  
**_~ Me 3:57AM_**

 _**I'm NOT GONNA KISS KEITH.** _  
_**~ Lance 3:58AM** _

**_GO TO SLEEP LANCE.  
~ Me 4:01AM _ **

 

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 8**

"I just googled "sexy" and a picture of you came up."

"You can also find a picture of me if you search up "not interested". Sucker."

"Well how about-"

"That was your second pick up line in one day Lance, bub-bye!"

"UGHHH."

 

***

"How long do you have before the bet ends?" Asked Hunk, munching on some crisps.

"Three," you smirked. "I'm planning on avoiding Lance during that time."

"Aren't you supposed to go on a date with him if he wins?" whispered Pidge so that Hunk and Keith wouldn't hear. "I thought you would love that."

You punched her in the arm. "Yeah but him kissing Keith is so much better to watch."

"Wait what?"

You turned around to see Keith gawking at you.

"Who's kissing me?" He spluttered.

Hunk piped up before you could stop him. "If Lance loses the bet then he has to kiss you."

"WHAT."

"Eheh, sorry Keith," you chuckled nervously and watched him stomp to Lance.

"Come on Lance, we're going to the library."

"Why?"

"I'm going to help you win this fucking bet. I'm not gonna kiss you."

 

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 2**

"Wanna get drunk and make bad decisions?"

"Aren't you doing that now?"

 

***

**DAYS BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 2**

"Are you a parking ticket 'cause- HEY YOU CAN'T RUN AWAY! THAT'S CHEATING!"

"I'M LATE FOR A LECTURE!"

"IT'S SATURDAY."

 

***

**TIME BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 12 HOURS**

You carefully peeked around the corner of the building before quickly walking inside the coffee shop. It was only twelve hours before the bet officially finished and you were taking extra precautions to make sure that you wouldn't meet Lance. That's why today you decided to go to places where Lance would never think of finding you.

"Galra" was the rivalling coffee shop to Altea, and none of the group would ever think of even setting a foot here. You personally didn't like the coffee here so you ordered a piece of cake and sat down at a table away from the window.

"Thanks," you said to the purple haired waiter when he brought you your cake. You adjusted your beanie and took another look outside, before opening your book and taking a bite of your dessert. You were only a few pages into your book when your phone _ding_ -ed with a message.

_**Little heads up that Lance and Keith are trying to track your phone. You might wanna turn it off.  
~ Pidge 8:13AM** _

_**Thanks Pidge.  
~ Me 8:14AM** _

You quickly turned your phone off and returned to your book, taking your time eating the cake.

 

 

***

**TIME BEFORE DEADLINE OF BET: 38 MINUTES**

"The time is 7:22PM."

You thanked the student with the watch one last time before scurrying away. At eight o'clock, the bet would end and you were confident that you would win. You were planning on returning to the dorms fifteen minutes ago but you had spotted Keith guarding the only entrance into the building, which meant you had to spend the rest of the time somewhere else. Unfortunately it was also hard to exit the campus as some of Lance's friends would also be guarding the exits, so you had no choice but to hide somewhere in the college.

"THERE YOU ARE!"

You turned around to see Lance at the other end of the corridor. "Oh shit."

"COME BACK HERE. I HAVE A PICK-UP LINE FOR YOU!"

But before he could say another word, you sprinted away, dodging around the groups of students and professors. You quickly ran down the halls and sharply turned around a corner, pressing yourself against the wall and letting out a sigh of relief when Lance dashed right beside you. You caught your breath and went back outside to the hallways, only to hear another yell.

"LANCE, I SEE HER," yelled Keith.

"Dammit," you muttered before yet again running away. This carried on for a little while, before you entered a quieter part of the university where there were less students, and carried on running, now able to hear two pairs of footsteps running after you.

"HURRY UP IDIOT," shouted Keith. "You need to win this stupid bet, I'm not kissing you!"

"The feeling's mutual, brother!"

You remembered your lack of athletic ability as you felt your breath getting shallower and more strained. Lance and Keith both had longer legs so they were able to catch up with you faster.

"HEY BABE!" cried Lance. "THAT'S A CUTE OUTFIT. IT WOULD LOOK GREAT ON MY BEDROOM FLOOR."

"IT WOULD LOOK EVEN MORE FABULOUS JAMMED INTO YOUR WINDPIPES," you retorted, still running down the hallways.

"WHAT THE HELL MAN? WHY WOULD YOU SHOUT SOMETHING LIKE THAT IN THE HALLS? AND YOU'VE JUST WASTED ONE OF YOUR CHAT UP LINES NOW!"

"SORRY!"

You took Lance and Keith's bickering as a chance to slip into another corridor and enter a lecture room, quietly closing the door. You glanced at the clock.

"Ten more minutes left," you panted. "And I've been running for over twenty minutes. New record."

You stumbled onto one of the benches in the lecture room and caught your breath. You weren't sure how long you were sitting like that but you suddenly heard voices outside the room.

"Do you know where she is?" Asked Lance.

"Pidge said that she saw her go into one of these rooms." said Keith.

You cursed Pidge for betraying you, it looked like she had decided that you on a date with Lance was better than him kissing Keith. To your immense horror, you saw the doorknob turn and as quick as a flash, you darted behind one of the row of seats.

**(A/N Reader is in one of those lecture rooms where each row of benches are on a higher level so it looks like a stadium of sorts. I don't really know how to describe it but just search up "old lecture rooms")**

"She should be here," came Lance's voice and you inwardly cursed.

_'Fuck fuck fuck fuck oh fuckiddy fuck'_

"I'll wait outside. We only have four minutes left," answered Keith.

You squeezed yourself into the back of the seats. Four minutes. That's all you had to hide for.

You heard the door close and Lance's footsteps slowly echoed throughout the room.

"Come out come out wherever you are~" sang Lance. "I know you're here, your beanie was stuck in the door."

Your hands flew to your head and your eyes widened when you didn't feel the hat on your head.

"We only have, hmmm... three minutes and twenty seconds left. Get ready for the worst date ever!"

You crawled along the row and saw Lance's legs on the other side of the row. Quietly, you went down into the next row and froze when Lance moved closer to where you were. But he didn't seem to notice you and carried on searching the rows. You looked behind you and nearly cried out in happiness when you saw an open window large enough to go through. You looked back at where Lance was. You just needed to time it correctly and then everything would be in your favour.

Silently you moved closer to the window, occasionally dropping to the ground when Lance would look in your direction. You looked at the clock. Only one minute left.  
Then you saw the perfect chance when Lance seemed to drop something.

NOW!

Quickly you stood up and rushed to the window. It was already open but you just needed to open it a bit more to fit through the gap. But the window wouldn't budge and you gaped in horror when you realised that it was stuck.

"Boo."

You shrieked when his voice breathed in your ear. But before you could move an inch you felt arms around your waist lift you into the air tackle you to the floor. Lance hovered over you, his legs tangled with your own and his hands trapping your wrists above you. You felt the parts of your body grow hot where Lance was touching you and you couldn't help but stare as his face hovered to just a few inches above you.

"Fifteen seconds left," he whispered, his cool breath fanning your lips, but you couldn't even say a word. Your common sense was nudging you to be prepared for whatever his pick up line would be but it was as if your brain had stopped working as you stared right into his blue eyes, your breath shaky and your heart hammering in your chest.

_10_

_9_

_8_

"Hey there," He murmured.

_6_

_5_

 "Are you a camera? Because every time I look at you, I smile."

_2_

_1_

_8:00PM._

 

***

You groaned in embarrassment when you looked in the mirror. In order to make tonight "The Worst Date you'll ever have", Lance had given you the dress and told you to wear it. The dress was glossy blue with a layered, ruffled skirt that reached a little above your knees, and thin straps. And if that wasn't old fashioned enough, the dress also had a gigantic bow at the back. You whined a little when you turned around and saw the bow sticking out in all its glory. Lance was adamant on you wearing it and since you had lost the bet, you had no choice but to obey him.

"Hey Pidge? How do I look?"

Pidge looked up from her phone when you came into the living room, and promptly burst out laughing when she saw your outfit.

"OH GOD, THAT DRESS IS SO TACKY!" She roared, ignoring the glares you shot her. Your room mate looked up from her laptop to see what all the fuss was about and started laughing as well.

"What are you _wearing_?" she shrieked.

"Lance is making me wear it!" You cried. "I look horrible!"

You room mate took a while to get up from the sofa without falling over from her giggles but she quickly ran to her room and came out with a pair of earrings and a brush.

"Since I'm so nice, I'll let you wear these and do your hair."

You let her brush your hair and style it however she wanted to, and carefully put on the earrings. When she finished, she gave you a hand mirror to look into.

"Hmm," said Pidge. "A little better."

It was true, you admitted. The drop earrings had jewels the same colour as the dress, so they sparkled every time you moved and your room mate had brushed your hair to land in tamed locks around your face.

"The dress is still ridiculous though," Pidge added. "I'm not even sure a trench coat is enough to hide those ruffles."

"Shut it," you hissed, before a text from your phone made you groan. "Ugh, that's Lance. I should go now."

"I'll head out with you," said Pidge, putting on her jacket. "I need to go back to my house anyway."

"Don't stay out too late," yelled your room mate. "And use protection!"

"Fuck off," you yelled back before heading down with Pidge.

"You excited for your lovely date then?" smirked the short girl.

You just gave her an annoyed look. "What do you think? Lance promised that tonight will be humiliating and I don't doubt him. Ugh, he's probably gonna sneak me into some shady bar."

Pidge laughed. "Well you did lose that bet. I gotta say, I'm quite pleased with Lance's strategy. Waiting till the last minute to tell you his pick up line so you wouldn't have a chance to respond."

"Speaking of losing that bet, you betrayed me! How could you Pidge?!"

"Come on, as hilarious it would be watching Lance and Keith kiss, I'd rather it was you and Lance sharing smooches. I ship you guys!"

"Fangirl."

"Lovestruck pussy."

When you got to the entrance, Pidge gave you a high five and wished you good luck on your date. You carried on walking outside the building, the ruffles bouncing as you walked each step. Luckily you didn't meet any friends whilst you walked so you didn't have to face a barrage of teasing and insults.

"There's my beautiful date!" mocked Lance when he saw you. You just gave him an unamused look and crossed your arms when you reached him.

"Aww, how cute! Maybe I should have gotten you to wear that elf costume instead." And at your angry glare, Lance laughed and put his hands up in surrender. "I'm kidding, I'm kidding. But go on and give me a twirl, let's see that bow."

You unenthusiastically did what you were told, your blank expression looking like your aunt's cat when it was hit in the face by a soft ball by your baby cousin. Lance gave you a wolf whistle and pulled out his phone.

"Here, we need to take a selfie to record this beautiful night!" He grinned before pulling you to him. You just rolled your eyes but smiled at the camera.

"Say: "I just lost a bet to the amazing Lance"!"

"In your dreams!"

The click of the camera went off and both of you looked at the picture.

"That's nice," You said. "Send that to me after."

"Okey-dokey!" He said before putting his phone away and giving you his arm. "Shall we?"

You raised an eyebrow at the chivalry but looped your arm through his and set off.

"We shall," You said in a pretend posh voice.

As you walked down the street with the Cuban boy, you took the chance to observe him. Lance wore a casual blue dress shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, and a pair of black jeans. His hair was still the windswept mess it always was but it surprisingly suited the look.

He actually looked... really nice. You brought your eyes back to the front and thought about the bet. You were actually looking forward to the date when you had lost. Sure maybe you were forced to wear a ridiculous dress, and maybe you'd be forced to do humiliating things, but the thought of spending an entire evening with Lance made you a little... happy.

"Here we are!" announced Lance, waving his hands in a jazzy manner. "Welcome to the food of the Devil, 'Klaizap kebabs!'"

You raised an eyebrow at the Food Truck parked on the sidewalk. "We're having dinner here?"

"Yep!" Lance lead you to it and waved to the cook, who was taking a nap.

"Hey there!"

The man shot up, some drool hanging from the corner of his chin. You slightly scrunched up your face in disgust but quickly composed yourself. After all, you had to be polite.

"Hello there! And what would you and your ladyfriend like to have?"

"I'll have the chicken wrap and my lovely date here will have... hmm, your open burrito speciality."

"Is it good?" You whispered to Lance when Klaizap disappeared to make the food.

"Nope!" He whispered back. "The food is absolutely horrible! Which is why it's going to be our dinner."

"Here we are!" said the cook, handing the two of you your meals. "Enjoy!"

Lance thanked him and dragged you to the park where you both sat on a bench and ate your food. You chewed on your burrito (which was VERY salty) and sniggered when Lance choked a little on his wrap from the spiciness, pulling out your phone and taking a picture of him pouting at the camera with a piece of wrap hanging from his mouth. He soon retaliated by taking a picture of you making a weird face at the amount of salt you tasted in the burrito, and soon it turned into a mugshot war with both sides soon having dozens of pictures of each other.

"So then Lance, what do you have planned for tonight to make this "The Worst Date in history"?" You asked when both of you stopped the mugshot war, finally deciding to throw away your burrito.

"Well actually, that's a surprise! But I will say this: I hope you have appropriate footwear."

"Wait what?"

Lance didn't answer you, instead choosing to stare at his wrap in distaste before throwing it in the bin with your meal.  
"That's a waste of money," he mumbled before pulling you up. "Ok next stop! We only have a few hours to do all these awesome things I've planned!"

You stumbled behind him, trying to catch up to his long legs. "Wait, where are we going?"

But that was soon answered when the two of you reached the City square. At this time of the evening there were quite a few tourists and people hanging around. Some were taking pictures beside the large fountain shooting water out of the detailed statues, and families enjoying ice cream and snacks.

"This is nice," You said turning around only to see Lance talking to some street musicians a few metres away. You tried to listen in to what they were saying but their words were drowned by the background chatter. You saw Lance give the taller man some money before he gave him a handshake. You quickly looked in the other direction when Lance walked to you with a satisfied grin.

"What were you talking to them about?" You asked, trying to act nonchalantly.

Lance winked. "You'll see."

Then the note of a keyboard resonated through the square. You turned to see the street musicians had stood up with their instruments in their hands. The man that had shaken hands with Lance stood at the front with a guitar and a microphone on a stand. You saw him mouth "One, two, three" to the others before the music started.

**(A/N The song lyrics have nothing to do with reader's or any other characters' feelings. They're just the song and I chose it 'cause it was just really fun and jazzy and so Lance-y style.**

**It's "I'm still standing" by Elton John by the way, but if you want to listen to it on YouTube then search for the cover by Taron Egerton from the movie "Sing!" I like that one.)**

_"You could never know what it's like_  
_Your blood like winter freezes just like ice_  
_And there's a cold lonely light that shines from you_  
_You'll wind up like the wreck you hide behind that mask you use"_

 

"Oh my God," You laughed. "Is that 'I'm still standing' by Elton John?"

"Yep," grinned Lance. "It's one of my favourite songs."

 _"And did you think this fool could never win_  
_Well, look at me, I'm a-coming back again_  
_I got a taste of love in a simple way_  
_And if you need to know while I'm still standing you just fade away"_

 

You bobbed your head to the upbeat music before you saw something in the corner of your eye and turned to see Lance with a mischievous grin and his arm extended out to you.

"Oh no no no," You said when his intentions dawned on you. "Here?! No way!"

"It's the rule, babes," He smirked. "You follow whatever I have to say during this date. Also I paid quite a lot for those guys to serenade us."

You stared at him for a few seconds before you moaned in defeat and placed your hand in his. "People are already laughing at my dress, why not laugh at my dancing too."

  
" _Don't you know I'm still standing better than I ever did_  
_Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid_  
_And I'm still standing after all this time_  
_Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind"_  
  
_"I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah"_

 

Lance quickly twirled you around before you were ready, leaving you stumbling and surprised. You quickly recovered but you still had the annoyed look on your face as Lance dragged you around. But soon you found yourself enjoying it and moved along with him. Looking in a nearby shop window, you laughed at how ridiculous the two of you looked dancing in the middle of the City square. One of Lance's hands were on your waist whilst the other held your hand, your other hand on his shoulder in a typical ball dancing pose. But your moves were jerky and both of you kept stumbling, not at all graceful. Despite both of your awful moves you were having so much fun as a laugh escaped from your lips.

 

" _Once I never could hope to win_  
_You're starting down the road leaving me again_  
_The threats you made were meant to cut me down_  
_And if our love was just a circus you'd be a clown by now"_

 

Lance grinned as he let out a carefree laugh as well, not even caring about the looks the two of you were attracting.

"You're so shameless!" You cried as Lance lifted you up into the air with both of his hands on your waist. You let out an involuntary squeal when he spun you around, quickly putting your arms around his neck.

"Channel all that passion into the dancing then!" He yelled back when he put you down and immediately dipped you.

 

 _"You know I'm still standing better than I ever did_  
_Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid_  
_I'm still standing after all this time_  
_Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind"_  
  
_"I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah"_

 

As you danced, you looked around and saw more people coming and dancing with their friends and family. The street musicians' instrument cases' were being filled with money and the whole square was turning into some sort of party. Lance also seemed to notice what was happening and gave you a wink.

"Looks like we just started a party."

You let out a breathy laugh, just touching his chest with your cheek in acknowledgement and focused on dancing. The shirt he was wearing was soft against your skin as you closed your eyes and got lost in the moment. Even though Lance had promised on making this night humiliating, he had actually made it really fun. From the dangerously cheap street food to the stupid dress and weird dancing, every second was absolutely wonderful and memorable.

 

 _"Don't you know that I'm still standing better than I ever did_  
_Looking like a true survivor, feeling like a little kid_  
_And I'm still standing after all this time_  
_Picking up the pieces of my life without you on my mind"_

 

And it wasn't just the date. Throughout the month of the bet, you had seen Lance at least once a day. He would pop up in the most weirdest of places to try and trap you with a chat up line, which you would answer with one of your many memorised rejections (recorded in a book which you would go over every night to be prepared for the next day). You remembered how once, Lance had waited ten minutes outside the ladies' toilets just to surprise you when you came out. Either way, you found yourself looking forward to his presence. He always made you laugh, knew just what to say when you were stressed and always joked around with you.

You also sometimes caught yourself watching him more and noticing little things about him. Like even though he was a flirty bad boy with the female population, he wouldn't hesitate to be a gentleman whenever someone accidentally dropped their books or if they were in trouble. Or how his blue eyes lit up when he started talking about his family and his mum's hugs. Or how passionate he actually was when he talked about astronomy.

The euphoria you felt around you wasn't the same as when you were with Pidge, or around family or anyone else. It was... different, and fuzzy.

 

 _"I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah"_

 

The "dancing" had turned into more of a 'rocking hug', with your head still resting on his chest and your arms around his neck and his arms on your hips, the two of you gently rocking to the jazzy rhythm. But the realisation came more suddenly, a voice in your head booming the truth to you. _'You love him'_

Oh god. You loved him.

You loved Lance McClain.

In nearly two months, you had fallen in love with the flirty, yet goofy Cuban boy. And you had fallen hard.

 

 _"I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah_  
_I'm still standing. Yeah, yeah, yeah!"_

 

The crowd cheered and whooped at the street musicians' performance, but it all faded away to white noise when Lance tapped your cheek.

"You ok? You kinda stopped dancing near the end."

You stumbled back from his body and put a hand to your head, trying to return to reality after your shocking epiphany. "Y-Yeah. Just a little tired."

Lance looked at you in concern but nodded. "It is getting really late. We should head back."

"But I thought you had other things planned for tonight?"

"Yeah but that can happen another time. You look like you're going to fall asleep standing up! Come on, let's go back."

He grabbed your hand and carefully steered you through the crowd just as the street musicians' started another song and the "party" carried on.

"Woah! You must be exhausted!" He yelped when you tripped over the curb and quickly caught you, holding you to his side.

"S-Sorry." The sudden trip had cleared your mind a little and you managed to walk better, but still stayed pressed to him as his arm encircled your shoulders.

"Was it the street food?" He rambled. "Ahh sorry! I hope you don't get food poisoning."

"It's not the food Lance," You laughed. "I didn't even eat much. It's just the dancing, all the excitement got me tired."

"Oh good good," He sighed in relief. "I don't think I can handle it if you start throwing up because of my cheap decisions."

You snorted at that. "Cheap decisions? Don't you own more than $100 of skincare products? And isn't your jacket high branded?"

"Hey, when it comes to your face and body, you can never be too picky!" He said, flicking you on the head. You just laughed again and leaned against his side.

"Yeah yeah. Now take me back before I fall asleep on you."

The walk back was quiet but comfortable. Lance whispered to you about random things, such as what Keith was up to these days, or how well Shiro was doing with his research, or about his mum's amazing casserole. You just gave slurred noises in reply, your eyes growing heavy.

And after what felt like a few seconds, you opened your eyes to find yourself in front of your dorm room.

"Wow, we got here quick," You yawned.

Lance snorted. "Quick? I had to practically drag your dead weight body up the stairs since the elevator wasn't working, you know."

You gave an embarrassed chuckle. "Ohh, sorry about that."

"It's fine," He waved it off.  "But you liked tonight, right?"

"Liked it?" You grinned. "I LOVED it! That was the best date ever Lance!"

"R-Really?" He blinked and you smiled at the colour rushing to his cheeks.

"Yes! I'm serious, this night was amazing! I'm even forgiving you for making wear this stupid dress! But I'm sorry for cutting the rest of the night short," You gave him a look of apology. "I guess I don't have enough stamina for all that fun."

"Are you kidding?" He laughed. "It's totally fine, don't beat yourself up for it. And besides, all it was was going to a shady bowling centre and that just meant paying more money so hey, it's ok!"

You snorted and but gave him a warm smile. "Fine. Anyway, it's getting pretty late. You should head back."

"Yes ma'am." He gave you a mock salute and walked away. But before he went a few steps further, he stopped and suddenly walked back to you,

"I forgot," He said. "About the last thing you need to do after a date."

And then you felt lips against your cheek. They fluttered against your skin before pulling away, and you stared wide eyed at Lance's smirk and his back as he walked away.

When you were sure he was out of earshot, you opened the door to your dorm room and let out a strangled squeal of joy, trying not to wake up your room mate. Even when you were in the shower (your dress placed into your closet as a "souvenir"), you still felt his warm lips against your cheek, the area where he kissed you tingling.

You spent the next few minutes changing into your pyjamas and scrolling through your phone and smiling at the pictures you had taken earlier on in the date. Your favourite one was when the both of you were sitting on the bench with Lance hugging you and grinning widely at the camera, with you squashed up against him and smiling at him instead of the camera. You smiled a little longer at that photo before your phone _ding_ -ed with an email. You opened it to find that Lance had sent you the photos that he had taken that night. One was the first one the two of you had taken at the very beginning and the rest were funny mugshots of each other making funny faces. You laughed at those and saved your favourite ones to your phone, before you eventually put it to charge and flopped onto you bed, your exhaustion finally settling in...


	2. Chapter 2

After a tough interrogation from your room mate, and then Pidge, you were finally free from talking about your date. You didn't tell anyone about your recently revealed deeper feelings for Lance, not even Pidge who still thought that he was just a crush.

Several days passed after your night with Lance and you only caught glimpses of him through campus on those days. Apparently he was drowning in work and studying with hardly any free time available ("That's what the loser gets for procrastinating," scoffed Keith) and you couldn't help but feel relieved. You weren't sure how you were going to act around him now, or even what the next step was supposed to be. Do you confess, and risk ruining a beautiful friendship? Or do you keep it hidden and carry on being his friend, losing a chance to be with him?

The first choice scared you shitless in all honesty. For one, you were pretty much a coward when it came to love and confessions so that was a big no-no. And two, even the thought that there was a chance that Lance would reject you made you want to face plant onto your bed and hope the pillows would suffocate you, so that was a double no-no.

Then there was the matter of fact that you actually _loved_ him. Love, it was such weird concept. And such an overused word. Your couldn't remember the number of times you used the word "love" to show how much you liked a meal, or a book, or anything really. You knew love; you knew you loved your family, and your friends. You knew you loved watching the starry sky at night in the summer, and you knew you loved curling up with a mug of hot chocolate and watching cheesy kids' films in the winter.

But you didn't know the unique love that you feel for only one special person. Love so strong that you would do anything for them. That one person who changed your life and made you feel so _vulnerable_.

And yet now you knew the feeling. You had been feeling it for over a month and the revelation had struck you like a bolt of lightning only several days ago. It made you so happy, the increase of your heartbeats, the joy it brought when you imagined his face. Heck, just last night you had a dream about you cuddling with the Cuban boy, with a tanned cute baby snuggling in between the two of you.

But you were also terrified. You read enough romance books (*ahem fanfiction ahem*) to know that love was also a double edged sword. It made you feel like you could soar into the clouds, but it could also crush you into the deep pits of hell. Were you ready? Maybe not. But it seemed that you didn't have a choice.

"I love Lance McClain." You whispered out loud to the empty dorm. It felt light and easy on your tongue, leaving your lips fluently as if it was a language you had been speaking your whole life. You felt so calm and in the moment, just staring off into nothing as you relaxed into the sofa.

Lance was undeniably irresponsible and childish. He was unorganised, cocky, had terrible eating habits and the amount of times he almost got the group kicked out of whatever building you all were in made you want to punch a wall and cry (although the last one was usually Keith's fault too for always provoking Lance). He was obnoxious, loud, competitive...

But he was also generous and had a heart of gold. He put his friends before him and looked after them, even if it meant compromising and making sacrifices. He was a hopeless romantic, usually helping Hunk with his relationship with Shay and anyone else. He had an incredible sense of humour, always cheering you up and making you laugh (he once made you laugh so hard you accidentally inhaled your fruit juice. After that, Lance smelt like fruits the entire day and attracted A LOT of ants).

And he was insecure. You lost count of the number of times you would catch sight of him suddenly become quiet and drift off into space whenever you all talked about the future, or dreams. You saw how he looked so surprised when you bought him his favourite ice cream one day and after asking you why, you replied with "Because we're friends you idiot. And you're amazing." His grinning face seemed to brighten the entire day.

Love didn't magically make Lance seem like some sort of perfect angel (even if he did look like one). Love made you realise that despite both of your flaws and habits, Lance was the one person you wanted to be with for the rest of your life.

***

His voice called out your name, making you instinctively spin around to see Lance jogging up to you with a big grin.

"Lance!" You laughed. "I haven't seen you in so long!"

"It's only been a week, you idiot," He smirked. "Don't tell me you missed me?"

"Well it's been weird not hearing your annoying voice these days," You retorted playfully.

"You love me really."

Yeah you did.

"I'm going to Altea now," You told him. "Do you want to come with me? I'll buy you Garlic Knots."

"Fuck yeah!"

The walk to the coffee shop was filled with lively chatter as Lance ranted to you about how much he suffered trying to complete all of his work and you catching him up with anything new that happened whilst he was gone, which wasn't much. Finally the two of you reached Altea, the comforting atmosphere inviting you in.

"Hey guys!" Cried Allura from the counter. The two of you greeted her with large grins, before ordering Lance's garlic knots and a cookie for you. Whilst Coran got the orders, you and Lance chatted with Allura.

"So one day she came up and asked me if I wanted to hang out with her!" squealed the white haired beauty with her English accent.

"And what did you say?" asked Lance in excitement. You had a similar expression on your face, staring at Allura in curiosity.

"I said yes!" She cried. "We're going to this amusement park next week!"

The three of you silently screamed, barely containing your excitement.

"That's amazing!"

"What's even more amazing is how two grown up women and a grown up man can look like a trio of giggling schoolgirls," interrupted Coran, holding onto your orders.

You chuckled sheepishly before taking the food from him. Lance lead you to the table by the window, barely sitting down before digging into his Garlic Knots.

"Lance, what have I told you about eating too fast?" You teased him before snorting when he looked up in embarrassment with crumbs around his mouth,

"Showwy," He said with his mouth full of food and you just stared at him blankly in disgust.

"Never do that again," You deadpanned, still staring at him in disgust.

He laughed at your face. "Oh god! You look so-"

"Lance?"

Lance's voice died out when his gaze fixed onto the voice behind you, his eyes widening in shock.

You turned around to see a girl standing behind your chair, smiling at Lance.

"It's been a while."

***

Her name was Nyma.

You knew because Lance practically cried out her name in happiness when he leapt out of his chair to hug her, before dragging her to the seat beside him.

"It's been so long!" He spluttered.

"I know!" giggled Nyma, her dainty laugh sounding like soft wind chimes. You hated it.

"It's been like what? Two years?" grinned Lance, before slapping his forehead when he remembered something and turned to you.

"I completely forgot to introduce you, I'm sorry!"

"Damn right you should be sorry," You said annoyed before turning to Nyma and introducing yourself.

"I'm Lance's university friend. I'm sorry that he's like this, he's such a manchild."

"Don't worry, I had my fair share with Lance's personality. When we dated, it was almost like I was his mother and not his girlfriend."

The smile on your face still stayed but now it seemed to ache on your face. "You dated him?"

"Yep!" butted in Lance. "Nyma and I used to date back in high school, but we decided to end the relationship when I got accepted to come here and she went to law school. Speaking of which, what brings you here Nyma?"

"Well I graduated two years early," explained Nyma. "And I just got a job at Rolo law firm."

You couldn't help yourself, and gaped. "Rolo Law Firm? Isn't that one of the best law firms around here? And you managed to get a job there?"

Nyma had the decency to blush when Lance congratulated her. "Thank you! But enough about me, what about you Lance? College going ok for you?"

You stayed silent whilst the pair chatted, trying not to glare a hole through Nyma's head. You tried not to admit how perfect the two looked together, and how perfect Nyma was. She was very beautiful, with long silky blonde hair in pigtails and large violet eyes framed with very long lashes (are those even real?!). AND she was intelligent, graduating law school early and being accepted to work at a prestigious law firm. She was everything you were not.

You hated her.

You hated how she managed to make Lance look happier than he looked in the months that you had known him. You hated how close they seemed despite not having contact with each other for two years. But most importantly, you hated how Lance looked at her, with a soft yet happy gaze which would've made you melt if he ever looked at you with those eyes.

Except he didn't. And probably never will.

You quietly gathered your stuff and stood up, awkwardly clearing your throat to get ~~the couple's~~ Lance and Nyma's attention.

"I just remembered," You said. "I was supposed to help my room mate with her report on an experiment. I should go."

"Oh. Do you want me to walk you back?" Asked Lance. His concern touched you but you knew that he obviously wanted to keep talking to Nyma.

"Nah it's fine, it's only a short walk," You collected the plates on the table and gave the two a small wave. "I'll see you tomorrow Lance. Bye Nyma, it was great meeting you!"

"It's great meeting you too! I hope we can see each other again."

Another thing to add to your list of why you hated Nyma: She was genuinely a really kind person, but you desperately wanted her to be a bitch so that you would have an excuse to keep hating her.

You left the two to their conversation and went to the counter to give back the plates.

"I saw the whole thing," said Coran, giving you a sympathetic look. "That must hurt."

"Is it really that obvious... how much I like him?"

"Not really. But I've seen enough romantic things from this counter to recognise a girl in love. Are you ok?"

"Eh, it was bound to happen," You shrugged, trying not to look like it affected you even though the pressure in your eyes told you otherwise. "It's fine."

Coran made a face which looked like: _'Oh is it? The love of your life looks like he's having more fun with his ex-girlfriend than he did when he was with you. And you're fine?'  
_ Or maybe that was just you and your stupid brain.

"I'm serious! I'm fine," You insisted, before sighing. "But any chance that you could give me a bottle of wine to drown my sorrows in?"

"You're underage, of course not."

"Worth the effort," You grinned, before waving goodbye to Coran and exiting the coffee shop.

Before you disappeared, you took one last glance into the window to see Lance and Nyma laughing together at something one of them said.

"They do look good together," You admitted before walking away, tears beginning to run down your face.

***

"Hey!" Yelled Pidge, her short legs finally managing to reach you. "I've been calling you so many times! What's wrong?"

You gave her a confused face, and inwardly congratulated yourself for your wonderful acting. "What are you talking about Pidge?"

"You haven't hung out with us in over two weeks!"

"I told you, I'm just really busy right now."

"Doing what? We're in the same physics course and I know for a fact that your biology and maths work is all done for the year! You bragged for half an hour about it last time."

"Just... stuff. You know, things."

Aaand you were back to the awkward college student who couldn't lie to save her life.

"Uhuh," Pidge drawled, before pulling out her phone. "Well I hope whatever you have is finished quickly because next Friday we're all going to a party."

"A party? That's not really my-"

"Trust me, I don't want to go either. But I don't want to suffer alone so you're coming. Shiro's friend is holding it and most of the campus is invited, so it'll be great. I'll send you the details, ok? And you're coming, you have no choice."

She patted you on the back and jogged away, you watching her disappear before sighing, swiftly walking into a nearby bathroom.  
It was true that you haven't spent time with the group for two weeks. After spending an hour in your dorm crying your eyes out over your broken heart, you decided to avoid Lance to try and move on. You were sure that by the way Nyma and Lance were interacting at the coffee shop, they were probably back together again and you were officially crushed. You spent the next two weeks drowning yourself into studying, helping your room mate with her project and taking lonely walks to try and move on.

Lance was entitled to date whoever he wanted. He didn't even know how you felt about him so it was hardly his fault. At least now you knew that he didn't feel the same way you did.

 _'But he acted interested when you first met him at Altea'_ The little voice in your head whispered.

"He acts interested in every girl he meets. What makes me different from the others?" You hissed back, glad that the bathroom was empty so that nobody would see you crazily argue with yourself.

_'He walked with you in the dark after that dinner so that you would return to your dorm safely'_

"I'm his friend. He cares for me as much as he cares for Shiro and Keith and the rest."

_'He flirted with you for a whole month with dozens of pick up lines'_

"It was a bet. It was never about me, it was about saving his pride."

_'He took you on a beautiful date. He danced with you. He helped you back to your dorm. He gave you a night that you would remember forever. He kissed you-'_

You quickly shook your head frantically to calm yourself down before washing your hands. Whilst you dried them, you heard your phone vibrate from your backpack and opened it to find that Pidge had sent you the details to the party.

You stared at the text before making up your mind. It was incredibly selfish of you to ignore all of your friends just because of a heartbreak that was nobody else's fault apart from yours. And you wanted to stay friends with everyone, especially Lance. You put your phone back into your bag and walked out of the bathroom.

"Guess I'll need a dress," You muttered.

***

You stood outside the hall, listening to the music booming out of the building. Shiro's friend had rented a large hall to hold the party, with plenty of food and alcohol (you were smart and decided not to drink much tonight. After all, you needed to be sober enough to go home without any trouble). Letting out a quiet sigh you smoothed your dress one last time. You were wearing a full sleeve, form fitting black dress which reached a couple of inches above your knees.

"You came!" cried Pidge. She was wearing jeans and a smart dress shirt and considering this was Pidge, she looked very dressed up.

"I didn't really have a choice, did I?" You grinned. "Anyway, I haven't seen the others in ages! Let's go in!"

The two of you walked in and immediately saw Shiro and Keith trying to stop Hunk from eating everything on the long buffet table. Pidge helped him as you watched in amusement, snacking on some crisps. When Hunk finally agreed on not touching the food for the rest of the night, he saw you and brightened.

"Woah you're actually here!" He cried, hugging you so tightly you were sure that you heard a few ribs pop. "We missed you so much!"

"I... missed... you guys... too..." You wheezed. "Hunk, I'm kinda... dying."

"Oops sorry," He chuckled sheepishly.

"I hope you finished your work," said Shiro. "It's been a while since we've hung out."

"Don't worry," You smiled. "From now on I'll make sure to be with you guys."

"Oh yeah! Where's Lance?" Asked Pidge. You stiffened a little at his name, but acted unaffected.

"Probably flirting with all the girls," scoffed Keith. "Last time I saw him he was trying to smooth talk his way into asking for someone's number."

You raised an eyebrow. Wasn't he going out with Nyma?

"I'm gonna get a drink," You said pointing to the table with all the drinks and alcohol. "I'll join you guys later."

You left them to their chatter and walked to the table, mulling over what to pick. You were so focused on choosing that you didn't hear his voice until a tap on your shoulder made you jump.

"Sorry!" grinned Lance. "Didn't mean to scare you but you were looking so concentrated on the drinks."

Not hearing his voice for over two weeks made your stomach flip a few times but you tried to quench it down. "Yeah, I'm just trying to see what to drink."

"Oh! You should try this." He grabbed a cup and poured what looked like fruit juice into it. "It's punch but it's mixed with booze so it's really good."

You took a little sip and relished in how good it tasted. "You're right! Thanks Lance!"

You were too busy finishing the drink to realise that Lance was smiling softly down at you until you looked up (your wedges made you a few inches taller but Lance still towered over you). "What?"

"Nothing," he said. "It's just, you look really pretty."

You felt your cheeks burn as you stuttered and started fiddling with your earrings. "T-Thanks."

Lance stared at the dance floor, where there was already a gathering of people dancing, before offering you his arm. "Want to dance?"

You looked at his cheeky smile and gulped down the rest of your drink before grinning back. "Of course good sir."

The alcohol was buzzing in your system as the two of you blended into the crowd and started moving. You were stumbling in your wedges but Lance put his hands on your hips to keep you steady, before rocking with you. The increasing crowd forced the two of you to move closer so that your heads were beside each other.

"You're a lightweight, aren't you?" He said, smirking when you scoffed and looked away embarrassed.

"Shut up! I'm just not much of a drinker."

"Sure sure." He breathed into your ear, hot air tickling the side of your neck, and you involuntarily shivered.

You carried on dancing, your bodies getting closer as more people seemed to get onto the dance floor. It was different from the dancing on your date; back then it was funny and ridiculous but now the air was thick and the dancing was more slower and... sensual.

"It's been a while since I last saw you. Pidge said you were busy."

"Yeah but it's all done now. I'm free again."

"That's great! We should really hang out sometime!"

"We should." As you said that you thought about what happened between Lance and Nyma. Were the two of them together again? Did they decide to hang out?

"Hey," smirked Lance. "Are you a parking ticket? Because you got F-I-N-E written all over you."

You groaned at how cheesy the one-liner was and Lance laughed at your face.

"Wow Lance, that was terrible!"

"It's a great line! And you haven't even responded to it with one of your sassy comebacks as well!"

You opened your mouth to prove him wrong but he quickly shushed you. "Nope nope nope! Let me revel in my moment!"

Just then, the music changed to a much more upbeat tune and you watched as Lance bobbed his head and you smiled at how ~~adorable~~ excited he looked.

"I love this song!" He cried before attempting to jump up and down in the crowded dance floor. But he soon stumbled and bumped right into you, causing you to squeak in surprise as you fell. But Lance's hands quickly shot forward and wrapped them around you before you could fall, and your breath hitched as the two of you were even closer than before.

You couldn't even say a word as you felt Lance's breath on your face, just staring right into those blue eyes which were staring back into yours.

"S-Sorry," He muttered. "You were gonna fall."

"I-It's... ok," You stuttered back but neither of you attempted to move from your positions.

You stared as Lance's eyes flickered down to your mouth and licked his lips nervously. The action made your heart pound even faster and you briefly realised in the back of your mind that your faces were getting closer and closer...

"LANCE, MY MAN!"

Another body barrelled into Lance's, causing the two of you to break apart and for you to step back as Lance fell with the intruder on him.

"Marcus! What the hell?!" growled the Cuban boy. Marcus (you guessed that he was a friend from one of Lance's lessons), was grinning drunkenly at Lance, not even caring about the annoyed look he was getting from him.

"We need you to have a drinking game with that bastard Stan again, bro!" He yelled. "We already made a bet! Our money is in your hands!"

"I'm kinda busy Marcus." Lance dragged the boy up and dusted himself off.

"With your girlfriend?" Marcus turned to you. "You mind if we take your boyfriend off of your hands?"

"U-Um." Your flickered from Lance to Marcus before you shrugged sheepishly. "I... guess not?"

"GREAT! Come on Lance!" Marcus slapped Lance on his back before stumbling back to his group of friends.

"Are you sure it's ok that I leave you?" Asked Lance.

You waved your hands in dismissal. "It's fine. Go have fun with your friends."

"I'll be back," He said before he reached into his pockets and pulled out his phone and important belongings. "Can you keep these with you? I don't want to know what might happen to these if I get super drunk."

You laughed and put his stuff into your purse. "Sure, I'll look after them."

 He kept his hand on your shoulder for a few seconds before he started walking away.

"I'll be back," He repeated before jogging over to the group of boys who cheered when they spotted him.

You snorted at the boys' weird actions before seeing some familiar friends from your lectures and walking over to talk to them. An hour went by with you having fun conversations with different people, occasionally checking on Lance, who was handling all the drinks in his system pretty well and was currently jamming out with his friends on the dance floor.

You left your group of friends to go get a cup of the spiked punch. As you sipped your drink, your purse vibrated. You put your cup down and fiddled with the purse and took out your vibrating phone. Except it wasn't your phone which had vibrated, but Lance's. You were about to put the phone back into your bag when the screen flashed and your eyes caught some of the words from the text that was on his lockscreen.

You knew that you shouldn't be snooping but you couldn't help it as you looked at his phone again, your breath catching in your throat as you read the text.

 _**Hey, it's me. Wanna go out sometime? I miss you.** _  
_**\- Nyma 10:23PM** _

 

The breath in your throat soon turned into a stifled sob as you quickly took a few deep breaths and tried to calm down.

Nyma wanted to get back with Lance.

_Nyma wanted to get back with Lance._

And Lance probably wanted to get back with her. If you weren't sure if Lance was going out with Nyma before, you were now sure that they will soon.

Your hands clenched into fists as you tried not to cry. You needed to get out of here before you broke down in the middle of the party. Quickly you took out Lance's other belongings and went to Keith, who was leaning against a corner sipping on some vodka.

"Here." You shoved Lance's things into Keith's hands, who stared at you in surprise.

"What? Why are you giving me these?"

"I-I... I'm going home. Give these back to Lance before he leaves." Your voice broke a little near the end and Keith looked at you in concern.

"Are you ok? What happened?"

You didn't answer though and just turned on your heel, slipping through the bodies of young adults before you found the exit and quickly walked out. You body was shaking as you choked out a sob and walked along the sidewalk. Your shoes were hurting your feet so you quickly took them off and carried them in your hands and started running. The university campus was a fifteen minute walk but you managed to get there in five as you sprinted, the tears blurring your vision.

You were certain that you looked like a mess, your makeup smudged from the crying and your hair messed up from the running, but you didn't care who saw you. You bounded up the stairs and finally reached your dorm, managing to just about stop your hand from shaking long enough to fit the key through the door and storm through and lock it again. You sank into the sofa, now letting the tears come out full force as you buried your face into your hands and wailed.

***

You woke up the next morning with a pillow under your head and a blanket wrapped around you. Stretching your aching limbs, you winced at the slight headache you got from the alcohol last night and sat up. You spotted a glass of water and a pill next to you on the coffee table before looking around to see footsteps coming into the room.

Your room mate was drying her wet hair with a towel before she spotted you awake and quickly rushed to you.

"How are you? Are you ok?" She helped you swallow the pill before she bombarded you with questions again. "I found you asleep on the sofa last night. You looked like you were crying a lot! What happened at the party? Did someone say something to you?"

"I-I'm fine." You voice sounded hoarse and felt like the sahara desert so you quickly downed the rest of the water. You remembered what happened last night; dancing with Lance, the moment the two of you had before it was rudely interrupted, the text on the phone...

Your friend saw you look on the verge of crying and quickly rubbed your back. "Why don't you go and have a nice long shower? I'll make us some breakfast. It's a Saturday so we can lie in the whole day."

You smiled at how wonderful your room mate was and slowly got up, wincing at your aching legs. But it didn't take long to reach the bathroom and quickly strip down out of your wrinkled dress. You couldn't help but glance at yourself in the mirror and cringe at how horrible you looked. Your hair was a tangled mess and the mascara and eyeliner had smudged and made you look like a half panda and half clown.

You soon stepped out of the bathroom half an hour later, clean and fresh faced. Your room mate had made a plate of pancakes and the two of you inhaled the delicious food. You felt her eyes flicker over to you in concern throughout breakfast but she refrained from speaking. It wasn't until the plates were all washed and the two of you were lying on the sofa watching some show that she finally asked you what had happened last night.

For a while you didn't answer, keeping your eyes on the TV. Just as your friend was about to give up, you spoke up.

"I... think I love someone."

She shot up and gawked at you. " _LOVE_?! As in... _love-love_?!"

"Yeah."

"As in... "Oh baby I can't live without you. I need you!"-love-love?!"

"Yeah..."

"Love as in-"

"Love as in: Lance McClain, I fucking love you with all my heart and I fucking mean it but you fucking like another girl who's a thousand times better than me at fucking everything and why couldn't I find the fucking courage to tell you earlier?" You snapped, finally letting it out.

She stared at you in silence. "...Woah. You love Lance? The cute guy you went on that date with a month ago?"

"The very one." You flopped back onto the sofa and groaned. "But just as everything was going so well in my life, Lance's ex-girlfriend Nyma had to barge into our lives and ruin everything!"

"Is that why you were crying last night?"

"Kinda..." You dropped your gaze to your fiddling fingers. "The party was going so well. Me and Lance even had a moment! But then it was ruined and I was left alone with Lance's things and his phone. Nyma had sent him a text then... she wanted to get back with him. And Lance probably wants to get back with her too. God! You should have seen how he looked at her that day at Altea."

"Did Lance verbally say that he wants to get back with her?"

You stared at your room mate. "Well... no. But it's obvious!"

"Is it really that obvious? Or is just your insecurities trying to tell you that he wants her?"

You couldn't answer, just keeping your confused gaze on her. "...What are you saying?"

"What I'm saying is that maybe you're overthinking this. Maybe Lance doesn't want to get back with Nyma. Maybe, he wants _you_. You told me yourself; you and Lance had a moment. By the sounds of it, Lance probably feels the same way you do. And besides, no one just willingly spends that much effort in a loser-date."

"That was just because he won the bet and wanted to make fun of me."

"Do you know why little boys pull little girls' pigtails in the playground?"

"Because it's fun...?"

"Because those boys like them. And the only way they know that they can show their interest is by teasing those girls!"

"That sounds like verbal abuse. That is not healthy."

"Stop thinking with your feminist mind and switch on your romance brain!" Your room mate snapped. "Lance is the little boy and you're the little girl with the pigtails! Lance shows that he likes you by constantly being a prick since obviously those goddamn awful pick up lines don't seem to work on you. The "date", how enthusiastic he was during the bet, don't you see? He _likes_ you!"

"But what about Nyma-"

"He'll soon move onto Nyma if you don't get your ass up and go confess!"

"Wait? Now?!"

"No, you do it when it's the end of the world!" She drawled sarcastically before throwing a cushion at you. "Yes now! Go confess your soppy little heart out!"

You quickly stood up to dodge the cushion and grabbed your jacket. But just as you were about to open the door, you paused and walked back to the sofa.

"But maybe I should do it tomorr-"

"Now!"

"But you said we could lie in the whole-"

"NOW!"

You shot out of the door with your trainers in your hands before your room mate's voice could start throwing kitchen knives.

 ***

It wasn't until you were out of the dorms and wandering the campus that you remembered that you had no idea where Lance could be. You had left your phone back in your dorm but the thought of facing your furious banshee of a room mate made you shiver and walk further away.

In the end you decided to go to Altea and just sit alone in your thoughts with a mug of steaming tea. You stirred the drink whilst you starred out of the window, watching the people outside. Some were alone, and others were with friends. One girl was walking her dog, but her attention was focused on the boy beside her. Another man was in a large coat and had a shabby beard, hands stuffed into his pockets as he strolled along. It was incredible, how everyone in this world had their own thoughts and problems. And you would be the extra or the passing character in their life stories.

When your tea was about to grow cold, you began drinking it and thought about how you were going to confess to Lance. Were you going to confess? Your room mate could be pretty scary but it wasn't enough to let go of your insecurities and gather the courage to actually tell Lance how you felt. You were terrified, and one part of you wanted to give up, but the other part wanted to tell Lance.

When you finished your drink, you stood up and left the cafe, waving goodbye to Allura who was chatting on the phone with her girlfriend. She gave you a quick wave back and went back to her conversation, a huge grin on her face. You smiled at that, happy for your friend to find someone she really liked. It seemed that everyone these days were finding their soul mates. You might even consider Lance your soul mate.

You kicked a stone along the pavement as you walked, your feet randomly taking you somewhere your mind didn't really care about. It wasn't until you lost the stone that you realised that you were walking on grass and you lifted your head to find yourself at the park, the very place where Lance and you had eaten the incredibly cheap food that night on your "date". You walked on to find the bench the two of you had spent your dinner on, and sat down in the very seat you had sat in. The park was actually a large field with a small area dedicated to a playground for little kids. The bench you were sitting on was under a large tree, the branches spreading over you like arms sheltering you in a motherly fashion.

You watched the kids play on the swings and on the slide, watching as one by one their parents picked them up to take them home. For a minute you had a vision of a cute toddler running up to a couple who looked familiarly like an older Lance and you, before you frantically shook your head and inwardly groaned. Great, now you were imagining you and Lance as a married couple raising a family. But it was a... nice vision, you guessed. You didn't mind that happening. In fact... you kind of _wanted_ it to happen.

You didn't realise how late it was, and how long you were sitting on the bench, until you snapped out of your thoughts and found the playground empty and the sky darkening with clouds. You slowly got up and stretched your back and legs, deciding that it was getting quite late and your room mate would be getting pretty worried. You walked onto the sidewalk and stuffed your hands in your pockets. You weren't able to find Lance (but you didn't bring your phone so that was a good excuse to tell your room mate) but the long walk and time alone was productive and allowed you to sort out your life.

You would move on. You wouldn't confess to Lance. You would carry on being his friend and support his relationship with Nyma (if he does end up with her). You would focus on your career and forget about romance (it was after all the 21st century and perfectly acceptable to live a single life). It would take time but you were sure that you would do it. After all, this was life and happy endings were never guaranteed.

A splash of water landed on your nose. Then another. Then the drops turned to the soft pitter patter of rain falling. You quickened your step, using your jacket as a flimsy shield as you jogged. The dorms were quite a walk away, so you planned to at least head back to Altea and wait for the rain to stop. Allura and Coran would understand and let you.

That was before you heard your name being shouted and looked up to see a familiar silhouette a few metres in front of you. You stopped and looked as the tanned boy saw you and froze, his face gaping at you in shock before it turned to an expression of relief and he started running to you in the rain.

And the feelings came back, your heart pounded against your chest as you saw Lance heading to you. You hardly resisted when he pulled you to his chest, as he had done many times the past few months, but this time he was wrapping his arms around you tightly as if you would disappear if he let go.

"You idiot. What the hell are you doing in this rain? Do you know how long I was looking for you?" His voice was muffled from his face digging into your hair and you slowly lifted you arms to hug him back.

"You... were looking for me?"

"Duh! Your dorm friend called me to tell me that you had left to do something hours ago and you weren't back yet. She's worried sick. And so was I! I spent ages searching for you!"

You stayed silent, feeling the rain soaking your clothes but Lance's hug warmed you from head to toe, filling you with a tingling sensation.

And then you realised that all that talk about moving on, helping him with his love life, staying friends... that was all bullshit. How were you supposed to get over him when here he was caring for you so warmly? You snuggled deeper into his chest and closed your eyes, finally giving into the fact that you would always love him.

"Are you tired?" He whispered, his voice turning slightly husky from the cold.

"Yeah." You whispered back but you made no attempt to move away.

"We're gonna get a cold if we carry on standing in the rain." He carried on whispering.

"Yeah."

The two of you stood there for who knew how long, just standing there in each others' arms.

"I'm sorry," said Lance.

You lifted your head to look at him. "What for?"

"For whatever happened Friday night at the party. Keith came up to me later on to return my stuff and told me that you had left earlier on. He said you looked as if you were about to... cry."

You stared at his chest, trying not to make eye contact with Lance's inquisitive blue eyes. This was the moment. You could either make something up, tell him that you just felt under the weather. Or you could tell him the truth. Tell him at the risk of a broken friendship.

You decided then and there.

"I... saw the text that Nyma sent you."

"The text? What... oh. But why would you be...?" Then his eyes widened in realisation.

You took a deep breath and walked a few steps away from him, the raindrops dripping down your face.

"Lance McClain... I love you."

You didn't dare remove your gaze from the ground. You were sure that if you did and caught even a single glance at his face, you would break down right in front of him.

"Oh."

"Yeah." Your hands shook lightly at the short response and you put them behind your back. "I love you and it's fine that you don't feel the same way. I... I hope you're happy with Nyma. She's a lucky girl."

You were a little glad that it was raining so that the tears streaming down your cheeks would blend in with the raindrops. You passed the frozen Lance and started walking back towards the dorm. There it was. You had confessed and just as you had predicted, Lance didn't feel the same way. And now not only were you heartbroken, but you had also lost a precious friendship. It was over-

"WAIT!"

Your feet stopped moving at Lance's shout even though your mind was begging them to keep walking. All you wanted to do was head to your room and spend the next hour crying... again. But you turned around to see Lance still standing in the same place but staring at you with emotion.

He called out something but the sound of the rain drowned it out.

"What?" You called back.

He said it louder but the words were incomprehensible.

"I CAN'T HEAR YOU!" You yelled.

You saw Lance take a deep breath and close his eyes through the pouring rain. Then he opened his mouth and yelled.

"I LOVE YOU TOO!"

You swore your heart stopped.

"W-What." You whispered. Lance read your lips and assumed you didn't hear him, so he opened his mouth to yell at you again but you managed to shake your head and slowly walked back to him.

"N-No I heard you! I just... what about Nyma?"

"What about her?"

"I thought you liked her. D-Didn't you want to go out with her?"

There was now only a few metres between you and Lance, still quite a distance but the two of you could hear each other clearly now.

Lance just blinked, and then promptly burst out laughing. You looked at him a little annoyed and confused. It took a while for him to calm down and stand back up, a few chuckles escaping now and then.

You frowned at him. "What's so funny?"

"No it's just..." He looked at you through his mop of soaked brown hair, his gaze making you squirm a little. "I don't like Nyma like that."

"...What?"

"I don't like her like that. We dated in the past and sure I liked her then, but I've moved on. Last night I told her that I didn't feel the same way. I told her... that I liked you... a lot."

Your heart pounded faster in your chest, your throat closing up. But you couldn't help but smile a little at Lance suddenly fidget and look at you shyly.

"So, yeah." He muttered. "I love you too and I want to try something with us. Would you like to as well?"

You didn't answer, instead letting a breathy laugh escape from your lips as you suddenly ran the remaining distance towards the Cuban boy and leapt at him. Lance stumbled back from the sudden weight on him but he regained his balance and placed his arms on your waist to steady you.

"Yes!" You cried.

A huge smile grew on Lance's face before he tightened his grip around you and spun you around, laughing in joy. You put you arms around his neck and placed your head near his when he finally slowed down to a halt.

The two of you stared at each other for a moment, before you eventually leaned down to kiss him right on the lips. It filled you with warmth even though the two of you were practically soaked to the bone from the rain but neither of you cared, instead relishing in the moment. It was kind of hot, you admitted in the back of your mind, how Lance was able to easily carry you on him and give such a mind-blowing kiss.

Soon though the two of you broke apart for air, your chests heaving and your cheeks slightly rosy.

"We... should get out of the rain..." You panted, catching your breath.

"Yeah... we should..." replied Lance, before catching your lips again.

It was safe to say that the next morning you woke up with a blocked nose, a high temperature, a killer headache and a furious room mate.

***

**EPILOGUE**

You put the silver drop earrings on your ears and took a deep breath. Today was the day you had been dreaming of for who knew how long. And now that it was here, you were terrified. The butterflies in your stomach flew round and round, making you want to throw up but you clenched it down, instead taking a sip of water from the water bottle nearby and taking more deep breaths.

A knock on the door made you put down the bottle and call out. "Come in."

The door opened and you turned around to see Allura entering, her long white hair flowing down her back and the peachy pink dress complimenting her dark skin tone.

"You look beautiful!" She exclaimed.

Your cheeks grew hot but you shyly mumbled out a "Thank you" and took another look in the floor length mirror.

It was a sheath style dress with a bateau neckline, the bodice fitting snug around your upper body. The silk dress flowed down to hug your body in a flattering way and spilled to form a mini train. Your hair was also styled into an elegant braided updo with a few pieces of your hair framing your face and the dangling earrings twinkling beside either side of your face. Today was the big day, and everything was going perfectly.

"Seriously when Lance sees you, his jaw is going to drop so low!" squealed Allura, admiring your dress and fixing any minor fixes.

"Stop exaggerating Allura!" You laughed.

"I'm not! If I was Lance, I would be star struck!"

You smiled at the compliment and adjusted your necklace. "Was there anything important you needed to tell me?"

"Not really. I was just checking up on you before the ceremony begins. I am the maid of honour after all, it's my duty to make sure you're feeling great!"

Originally you weren't sure who should be the maid of honour, stuck between Pidge, Allura and your ex-room mate (now a successful pharmaceutical sales rep). But the choice was easy once your friend and Pidge started arguing over which one of them should be the maid of honour, leaving Allura as the winner and the two as bridesmaids.

"Everything is going well so far," You said.

"Great! We'll collect you when it's time!" She gave you another hug and walked out, leaving you on your own. You took the veil from the table and secured it into your hair, adjusting it before nodding in satisfaction. It hadn't been five minutes until there was another knock on the door.

"Come in!" You called out but nobody came in. You frowned and walked up to the door, ready to open it when a voice from the other side made you stop.

"It's me! Don't open it, it's bad luck to see the bride in her wedding dress before the walk down the aisle."

"Lance!" You laughed and stepped closer to the door. "What are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you before the ceremony," he answered. "Also Coran started giving me "The Talk" and I needed to escape somehow."

"Isn't that like his fifth "Romance Talk"?"

"I don't know. The last one was more of a _"I was a handsome young lad popular with the ladies during your age!"_ and basically a story about his love life so I guess this is the fourth talk?" Pondered Lance, before letting out a sigh. "Man, I'm nervous."

You smiled and leaned your forehead against the door, imagining Lance doing the same on the other side. "You're getting butterflies too?"

"Kinda. How about you?"

"Same here. You better not be thinking of ditching me at the altar young man!"

"Lady, choosing to marry you was and will always be the best decision of my life."

You burst out in giggles, feeling the butterflies leave. You looked at the clock on the wall and sighed. "It's nearly time, you should head back."

Lance sighed. "Really? But I want to talk to you longer!"

"We're getting married idiot, we'll see each other very soon."

"Fine~" He whined before speaking again in a mischievous tone. "Looking forward to tonight, _Mrs McClain_."

You heard his footsteps walk away from the door after that, before looking back to the mirror.

"Mrs McClain," You whispered, the name rolling out of your tongue as easily as the other hundred times you had said it. "Has a nice ring to it."

**THE END  
**

 

**-**

**-**

**-**

**It's finished! I really hope you enjoyed this story guys! I definitely enjoyed writing and it satisfied my Lance needs a lot lmao!**

**Wedding dress link (pinterest): https://www.pinterest.co.uk/pin/17944098494095244/**

 

**Author's Note:**

> \- The idea of the bet and the "worst date ever" was inspired by Brooklyn Nine nine. I'm not even kidding, Brooklyn Nine Nine is such a fucking fantastic show, you guys should definitely watch it!
> 
> Please leave kudos and comments!


End file.
